Case Study: New Foundation Working Session

New Foundation Working Session: Crafting a Vision Statement & Initiatives

A Rodman & Associates Case Study

Executive Summary

Rodman & Associates worked with a new foundation to discover how they could best move forward to achieve their goals. In a working session, we:

1. Crafted a new vision statement

2. Determined 3-5 initiatives

3. Identified benchmarks to track success

Session Focus

Creating a vision statement and Funding Priorities for a newly created foundation

It’s easy to identify the purpose and achievements of an established foundation, but the road to success isn’t always clear. How does a newly formed foundation determine its vision, goals, and mission?

Rodman & Associates guided a working session for a recently appointed Board of Directors – the only thing set in stone was they knew the population they wanted to help.

Their goals: to define the purpose of the foundation, to create a vision statement, and to identify key strategic priorities. They wanted to lay this groundwork before the first Board meeting had occurred.

The foundation Board knew who they wanted to serve, but weren’t sure how to do it. They needed a cohesive vision and an understanding of what they wanted the foundation to do and how they could move forward.

Creating a Vision Statement

Setting goals without a vision is like navigating without a map… it’s possible, but it’s easy to get lost along the way!

A vision statement is about dreaming big. A vision statement is aspirational. A vision statement defines your legacy.
A guided discussion served to determine how the foundation would be summarized and the general area of focus for the foundation. The facilitated conversation provided the platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences and expertise. By building on each others’ ideas, the result was a vision statement everyone was proud of and that fit their purpose.

Identifying Strategic Priorities

From quick wins to long-term impact, outlining initiatives
and goals keeps you on target.

As you can imagine, most people in the room had a different idea of how they wanted to serve and what they wanted to achieve. Once all of the options were laid out together, it was easy to prioritize and balance between what was immediately and easily achievable, and what was more long-term.

Via a series of exercises and discussion, the group reached consensus on identifying 3-5 target initiatives as well as the desired outcomes. With these in hand, the group was able to solidify Action Items for the upcoming inaugural Board meeting.

Outcomes & Feedback

A session isn’t successful unless everyone feels satisfied with what they helped create.

In an anonymous feedback survey, 100% of respondents strongly agreed (5 out of 5 rating) that the group discussions and interactions were stimulating, and that the session moved the Foundation forward.

By creating a vision statement and identifying a range of short term and long-term funding initiatives, this new foundation now has a clear path forward.